Our program is named “Orfalea Child Development Center” in honor of Paul Orfalea, the founder of Kinko’s, who made a very generous financial endowment to the Center. We continue to receive support from the Orfalea Family Foundation and network with other programs endowed by the foundation.

Yes. Ventura College students have priority for enrollment, but children of faculty and staff and community members are welcome as space allows. At any given time, about 25% of the children enrolled at the Center are from community families.

The Center is staffed with both permanent college staff and student instructional aides. The permanent staff members serve as lead teachers in the early childhood classrooms and hold Child Development Center Permits issued by the California Department of Education. Ventura College students who have completed some coursework in child development serve as instructional aides in our classrooms. Both permanent staff and student aides must pass background checks conducted by the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before working in our Center.

A wide variety of discipline and guidance strategies are used depending on the behavior that's happening, the age of the child, whether someone is being hurt and how long the behavior has been going on. The most commonly used technique is redirection; young children most often act out when they are bored or frustrated so when necessary, staff members redirect children to an activity that will better meet their needs. Staff also help children learn to express their feelings verbally so that they can resolve conflicts with others. Providing a good adult to child ratio allows Center staff to maintain visual supervision of children and prevent many situations from becoming problems. For toddlers, providing multiples of the same item is especially important, as it minimizes the need to wait for turns. Open communication between Center staff and families helps us work together as a team to best meet each child’s individual needs.